Written by Saray Lopez, Director of Educational Equity, University of Phoenix, and Tondra Richardson, Director of Student Diversity & Inclusion in the Office of Educational Equity, University of Phoenix
Participate in a thought-provoking discussion about the impact of systemic inequities and explore ways to advance existing diversity, equity, and inclusion practices from good intentions to action. In this session, we will brainstorm approaches to:
- Understanding personal bias to honor the intersectionality and diversity among your teams and customers
- Actions you can take within your spheres of influence, whether they are organizational, departmental, or personal
- Break down your career path and what you attribute your success to.
Tondra – I began my career in dispute management/conflict resolution and dedicated personal time to volunteering in underserved communities. I have always been passionate about finding ways to make a positive impact on youth in the BIPOC community and bringing awareness to the disparities that impact their pathway to success. I had mentors who saw my passion and helped align my background, lived experience and academic achievements to finding my purpose. This has contributed to the ways in which I am able to create access, awareness, community and opportunity for these communities.
- What are systemic inequities, and how do they play a role in business?
The current social, economic, and political disenfranchisement of historically underrepresented ethnic groups, such as the lack of opportunities, lower socio-economic status, higher unemployment, access to quality healthcare, and the racial wealth gap, are symptoms of the systemic inequities that have existed throughout history. (Schifter, 2021).
Even though companies in all business sectors are making efforts to make the workplace more equitable, there is still significant work that must be done to close the equity gap. In the interim, much progress has been made towards achieving gender equity, notably in terms of women’s representation at the highest organizational levels. Unfortunately, racial and ethnic equity have not received the same amount of attention or rate of progress. Individuals from historically underserved groups continue to encounter injustice and inequity in the workplace and are underrepresented at the executive level. Companies have a key role to play in ensuring that growth opportunities in the workplace are equitable. Particularly when research suggests a correlation between racial equity and improved business outcomes.
Schifter, M. (2021, January 25). How companies can accelerate racial justice in business. Retrieved January 31, 2023, from World Economic Forum website: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/01/how-companies-can-accelerate-racial-justice-in-business
3. What is equity within the business setting, and what are ways to promote it?
It is possible to establish a corporate environment that is equitable for all those involved; but, in order to accomplish this, one must approach the problem from a variety of angles while keeping in mind that this is not a one-time event but rather a continuous effort. Igniting the level of change needed to foster belonging within organizations is not a simple task; in fact, doing so requires intentional effort. This can look like reviewing and updating policies and programs to remove bias and promote racial and ethnic diversity across all levels of the organization. According to Schifter, building equitable workplaces requires a focus on recruitment, retention and advancement, workplace culture and leadership. Programs and policies need to be hardwired into the system to ensure long-lasting change (Schifter, 2021).
Schifter, M. (2021, January 25). How companies can accelerate racial justice in business. Retrieved January 31, 2023, from World Economic Forum website: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/01/how-companies-can-accelerate-racial-justice-in-business
4. How do you work on empathizing and fostering equity when approached with differences?
Tondra: My background in conflict resolution and mediation contribute to the ways in which I approach this. I would not say that I “work on empathizing” but rather genuinely empathize. Each person has a unique lived experience that shapes the ways in which they see the world. My intention is to help all parties understand this so that they can first gain perspective on how their own views are shaped thus helping in their understanding and comprehension of how to empathize with others.
5. What recommendations do you have to become more aware of personal bias to honor your team & customer diversity?
My first suggestion would be taking an implicit bias assessment. While there are many out there, I still find the Harvard test to be a preference. According to an article featured by Korn Ferry, “…leaders and employees need to be able to recognize unconscious bias and be able to counter and mitigate it.” Inclusive leadership embraces the term “inclusion” in all aspects of business operations. That’s why inclusive leadership is a critical skill to master. An article in Harvard Business Review suggests it can help leaders and organizations adapt to diverse customers, markets, ideas and talent.
6. How can businesses educate team members on equity and overcome resistance to these concepts?
Below are recommendations to advance equity in the workplace. Please note, this list has been curated from a variety of sources, including scholarly journals, higher education leaders, and organizations working to dismantle systemic inequities in education.
- Develop employees to work in a global and diverse environment by collaborating with higher education institutions to support and empower career advancement.
- Encourage all employees to engage in activities hosted by employer resource groups if available.
- Invest in culturally relevant practices.
- Create accessible resources and make adequate digital technology available.
- Actively measure equitable representation in positions of leadership
- Connect with and learn about your employees’ communities to enhance your cultural awareness while also identifying new opportunities to foster belonging.
- Share relevant resources for employees to access. In today’s remote working environment there are several great public sources and learning opportunities that are free of cost and easy to access online. In fact, as an example here are some events hosted by University of Phoenix:
- Educational Equity Webinar Series – A space for thought-provoking conversations about equity and inclusion in the classroom, workplace and community. We encourage inclusive leadership and promote greater unity.
- Join us live on February 16th for the webinar “Beyond the Talk: Intersectional Approaches to Antiracist Structural Change”
- Access Educational Equity Webinar Series – YouTube playlist for all recordings.
- University of Phoenix Inclusive Leadership Summit on May 2-4, 2023!
- This online summit is free and open to the public. We invite participants to develop inclusive leadership skills with a focus on tracks in leadership management, education and healthcare. We will bring together leaders, scholars and professionals across multiple industries to explore how to prioritize mental health and belonging at the core of strategic operations.
- Educational Equity Webinar Series – A space for thought-provoking conversations about equity and inclusion in the classroom, workplace and community. We encourage inclusive leadership and promote greater unity.
University of Phoenix has long been focused on creating a diverse, equitable, inclusive and belonging (DEIB) learning and workplace environment. We seek to foster a space where we can share and reflect on what we have learned, our successes, and focus on opportunities to further our DEIB growth and potential as well as that of our communities where we teach, learn, live and work. Whether through our active employee resource groups, community engagement or the regular review of our curriculum for bias, the University is intently focused on continually evolving to ensure our entire community experiences an environment in which all feel they belong.